Dec 10, 2013

Baked salmon cakes make the perfect Holiday appetizer, made with wild Alaskan salmon, diced peppers, capers and breadcrumbs. For dipping, I made my favorite Zesty avocado cilantro dressing which compliments the flavor of the salmon and makes these absolutely addicting!

Target has partnered with the Target Inner Circle crew to put together a Holiday Party 101 blog series. As a team we are sharing everything you need to plan the perfect holiday party from cocktails, music, decorating tips, invitations, and more!

I was put in charge of the appetizers which was a fun challenge for me, and I came up with the idea to lighten up a recipe I recently had at a friend's house after stumbling on Simply Balanced Wild Alaskan Salmon at Target. I also picked up some holiday plates, napkins and this simple white flat plane platter from their Threshold collection which I will be using for everything.

When purchasing fish, I always opt for wild rather than farm raised so I was happy to see wild Alaskan seafood in Target. I adapted the original recipe from Ina Garten with lighter ingredients, then baked the cakes rather than frying and they turned out wonderful. I love a good dipping sauce and knew that my avocado cilantro dressing would be the perfect fresh compliment!

If you are looking for a healthy appetizer idea this Holiday season, look no further. Wild salmon is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s and these salmon cakes are pretty easy to make. You can assemble them ahead of time, then put them in your oven when your guests arrive. Set them out on the table and watch them disappear!

To tune in to more holiday party-throwing tips, be sure to follow #mykindofholiday and #targetinnercircle on Pinterest. Target will be compiling all the posts for an article on A Bullseye View. Happy party-planning everyone!

Season salmon with salt. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat; when hot lightly spray with oil and add the salmon. Cook until browned on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes then turn and cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until salmon easily flakes. Set aside on a dish to cool.

Add the olive oil to the pan, then add the the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Old Bay seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Flake the salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, this will make them easier to shape and become less sticky.

88 comments
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I was planning to make salmon patties for dinner tonight anyway, so I think I'll give this recipe a try. Looks delicious! I like that I can sneak some veggies in and that they are baked (I usually pan-fry). I buy canned salmon (no skin/bones) at Costco, so I'm going to use that instead of the fillets.

I used crushed gluten free cereal (Chex I think?) in place of breadcrumbs in a recipe when we had a gluten free friend over. It worked just fine. Since you're subbing for seasoned breadcrumbs you could just add a bit of an all purpose spice blend. Hope that helps!

Whenever I make something that calls for bread crumbs but need the gluten free variety due to my boyfriend suffering from Celiac disease, I toast a few slices of gluten free bread and then chop them up finely. I'm sure Pam's idea to toss in the all purpose spice would work with this concept, too !

These look great. I just have one comment- I noticed you said you always opt for wild caught rather than farm raised, but there are actually several types of fish where its actually better (more sustainable) to get farm raised (tilapia, arctic char, scallops, and trout for example). I'm not sure if you said you always do it because of taste or to be environmentally conscious. If the latter, this is a good guide:http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_NortheastGuide.pdf

I recall reading somewhere that farm-raised tilapia is actually very unhealthy - it has to do with what the farmers feed them, how it metabolizes in the fish's body and then what it does to our bodies when we eat the fish. I'll have to look it up, but I remember clearly that I DID read it because, as a tilapia lover, I was really disappointed.

Yes, here we go: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/01/farmed-tilapia-good-for-the-environment-bad-for-you.html. They feed the fish corn, which raises the levels of omega-6 fatty acids to higher than what can be found in a donut.

Oh yes I totally forgot about that- I remember reading a year or so ago about tilapia being fed corn and was horrified. However, there are places you can get farm raised tilapia from fisheries that 1. do not feed corn and 2. do not do the testosterone treatments to reverse their sex (mainly from US fisheries and Ecuador. The cheap farm raised tilapia we see is usually from Asia) Whole foods is an example:http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/get-know-your-tilapiaIt will be more expensive, but better for environment + good for us = 2 thumbs up.

Hi...I love salmon patties and looking forward to trying these. I clicked on the link for the Target salmon and outside of package says wild caught but when you look at overview it says farm raised...not sure I understand that. I do not really know much about this except they say wild caught salmon is what u want from Alaska.

The link for the salmon takes you to the Target website. Interestingly, the product label says "wild caught" but if you look at the product details it says "Method of Production: farm rasied". ? But I love salmon cakes! I usualy bake them too! Will have to try these with your dressing!

This is very misleading. If you read the product overview label of the "wild caught" salmon, is actually states these are farm raised. Farm raised salmon are not great for you. Having said that, the recipe sounds great, but I will definitely buy salmon that really is "wild caught", and rarely, if ever is salmon caught in the Atlantic Ocean actually wild, even though they profess that it is. Stick to the Pacific Ocean wild caught salmon.

Old Bay is a spice mixture. It is usually used for seafood dishes to make stocks, shrimp/crawfish boils, etc. Here's a link to a homemade Old Bay Seasoning. http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/marinade/homemade-old-bay-seasoning-mix.html

I used costco canned salmon (3 cans) and it was good. I think a cup of breadcrumbs was a bit too much and I will definitely omit the celery next time. I thought about doing it this time but wanted to stick true to the recipe for my 1st try.

I used 3 cans of salmon from costco, doubled everything but the veggies, though I love veggies, I was afraid it would be too much. They are sooo awesome, will definitely make again, probably for christmas! My husband couldn't stop raving or eating! I used sprouted 7 grain bread from trader joes for the bread crumbs--toasted and in food processor.

Almost all farm raised fish is bad due to the fact that they are given antibiotics and usually raised in countries with out the stringent guidelines used to control contaminants used. If you are concerned about them being fed corn well all corn is genetically altered if you have GMO concerns. My mom always used oatmeal rather than breadcrumbs or crackers, any idea how much would be needed. Thanks

I made these a bit larger than appetizer size, and made them for dinner as a "salmon burger." Served them with the avocado dressing (substituted greek yogurt for the buttermilk), in a whole wheat pita with some arugula and veggies. Huge hit! Definitely will be making them again.

just to say... I just baked them and they were delicious! I only used one can of salmon. I didn't have mayo so I subbed cream cheese and I used 2 whole eggs instead of as the recipe stated, because they are farmer's market eggs and I can't stand to not use the whole delicious thing!

I used an ice cream scoop to measure and it made almost exactly 15.

Will definitely make again! I'm going to try to freeze them, too because I'm on my own and I can't eat 15 as good as they are :)

I made these tonight and they were fabulous! Everyone loved them! I just started a new cholesterol lowering diet and I'm so glad that these taste great and are low fat! They are a great way to incorporate fish into your diet. I love that you can make these ahead of time and freeze them afterward. I have tried at least 15 Skinnytaste recipes and you simply cannot go wrong! Thank you Gina!

We have made this several times for dinner. We follow the ingredient list, but instead of letting everything cool down and form into patties, I just form it into a loaf and bake in the over. My family typically does not like fish, but they wolf down this!!! Thanks Gina for finally making a fish recipe that is yummy and healthy!

I usually get Atlantic salmon but one day decided to splurge and try wild Pacific king salmon which I heard was the best. Well I broiled it the way I usually broil my salmon and it did not turn out well. Only took a few bites then couldn't bare to eat more. I didn't want to waste it and remembered seeing a recipe for salmon croquettes using leftover cooked salmon so I decided to make that. While trying to find the recipe I found this recipe and adapted it. My salmon already had a honey dijon glaze so didn't add any additional. Only used a red bell pepper and a red onion for the veggies. Also used some dried celery flakes instead of actual celery and left out hot sauce capers parsley (used Italian seasoning instead) and black pepper. Did not use egg or bread crumbs instead I used ground flaxseed mixed in water as egg substitute and hoped it would be an adequate binder. Used adaptations just cuz I'm cooking for one and going away for a week soon so didn't want to buy stuff that I won't use up or spend a lot more money on this salmon that already cost me $21 bucks. I baked for 10 min first then glanced to see if I needed the extra 5 and I did. Then I took it out to flip and that was hard. The top was golden and somewhat firm but the bottom wasn't so they ended up falling apart as I flipped them but I was hoping they'll rebind as they cook more and they did. I took them out of the oven after the second side baked 15 min then let them sit a few minutes before I tried one. They didn't look well formed since the spread during cooking but did hold together as I transferred them to a plate. The inside was really moist which isn't surprising since I had more liquid and semisolid ingredients then solids. They tasted alright I'm sure the original recipe tastes much better but I was just happy they're edible unlike my previous dish.

Anyway the point of my long comment was really to suggest ground flaxseed as an alternative to eggs for people who don't want to use eggs. My flaxseed package says substitute 1 tbsp of flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of water for 1 egg. I mixed the flaxseed and water on a separate bowel to make sure the consistency was right before adding to the other ingredients. Could do without the breadcrumbs but will probably be better to use them to help the cakes keep shape and so they won't be so moist.